Throwback Thursday – Hurricane Charley, 2004

Since this Sunday is the official start of the 2014 Hurricane Season (are YOU prepared?) I thought it would be appropriate to post this photo from the morning after Hurricane Charley slammed Florida and our neighborhood in Orlando a decade ago.

In the photo below, that is the root base of a tree that, with other 40 and 50 foot tall trees, lined a street in our neighborhood, but was now knocked over by the 100+ mph winds (and possible tornado) that Charley brought when it roared through Central Florida that night. This was one of 4 trees that fell toward and on homes, but another 13 fell across the main street, blocking entrance and exit by vehicle until we and our fellow residents worked together to cut and move the tree trunks and branches that lay like nothing more than scattered matchsticks and blocked the street.